The charter school located north of Mount Holly paid $700,000 to Crescent Resources for land along Lucia Riverbend Highway that will become the school’s permanent location, according to Gaston County property records.

School leaders originally planned to build the school on 40 acres on Horseshoe Bend Beach Road north of Mount Holly on land owned by entities affiliated with Andreas Bechtler, the family known for creating the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in downtown Charlotte. Gaston County Board of Adjustment turned down Mountain Island Charter School’s request to allow an exception to zoning requirements regarding having direct access to a major road during the summer, halting plans and causing school officials to start a new search for land.

School officials found a nearly 45-acre parcel of land owned by Crescent Resources along Lucia Riverbend Highway near N.C. 273 and N.C. 16. The site wasn’t on the market initially, but owners agreed to sell the land to the school.

“We are thrilled. Again, having such high hopes earlier and not having those work out, you question why, and then are delivered an excellent option for us,” said Head of School Linda Bratcher. “What it’s been has been just a great sigh of relief. We want to be on our new site to open next year.”

This site has a brook running through it, creating a learning opportunity for students but an adjustment to the school’s proposed configuration.

“The property site had changed a little bit because of the topography,” Bratcher said. “Overall, it’s roughly buildable between 35 and 38 acres.”

Trailers will be used as classrooms next school year on the new campus. That’s what the school uses now on the New Covenant United Methodist Church campus. Phase One calls for constructing an administration building and multi-purpose building. The administration building is slated to be complete by August, and the multi-purpose building should be finished around winter break.

The kindergarten through ninth-grade school expects to have 964 students next year, up from 818 students now, Bratcher said.

While the school is eager to make the transition to the new location, it’s keeping some things the same. Mountain Island’s summer program will stay at the church site to keep students out of the way of any construction.

“We continue to work to make this site feel like home to our kids,” Bratcher said.

You can reach reporter Amanda Memrick at 704-869-1839 or follow @AmandaMemrick on Twitter.